Five possible clubs for Stewart Downing

Several reports are suggesting that Liverpool are ready to axe midfielder Stewart Downing for £5 million, £15 million less than what they paid for him.

Downing was told that he could leave Liverpool last January before turning his form around, reaching a point where he was one of the most consistent and most important midfielders for the club over the second half of last season.

However, in the grand scheme of things, that doesn’t seem to have changed Brendan Rodgers’ opinion that the winger is not the man he wants across his midfield as he looks to build a great Liverpool side.

For such a relatively small fee Downing is going to be highly sought after because of his Premier League experience and there are several clubs who could try and sign him.

Aston Villa

An Aston Villa return is always possible because of his experience and the fee which means his former club wouldn’t have to stretch too much.

Downing’s experience would be vital in a younger side, which clearly struggled at times last season but whether the Villa fans can forgive him for originally moving to Liverpool in the first place could be decisive in any deal.

Cardiff City

Cardiff have been very public with their ambitions to improve their squad as a newly promoted Premier League team.

Downing is certainly a player that should interest them because of his Premier League experience. Downing could jump at the move because it’s an exciting new challenge and a chance for him to show just how good he is, at a level beyond what Cardiff currently possess.

Not only would Downing be a superb squad player, the fact he plays out wide would release Hatem Ben Arfa to play more centrally, where some of his more destructive appearances in a Newcastle shirt have been produced.

Stoke City

Stoke are expected to struggle in the new season, possibly getting dragged into a relegation fight.

They need to push and try to make a few signings before the start of the season and they should definitely throw their hat into the ring for Downing. Considering the majority of Stoke’s play is based around a target man, Downing is the ideal sort of player to ping crosses into the box.

Lewis Doe

Lewis Doe is a freelance writer and editor who seeks to bring you the biggest, smallest and most interesting stories from the football world. Lewis has previously written for some of the biggest football news and opinion sites in the world including FootballFanCast and Goal.com International. Lewis is also experienced writing in the betting industry and aims to deliver his stories with up to date factual and statistical information. He hopes to sum up stories for the site and provide an angle on the issue moving forward.Lewis is HITC Sport's La Liga correspondent.